In the Selva

Steam
rose hot around Tepin as she sat peering through the dense foliage, making the already limited view even more nearly
impenetrable. It was difficult for her to control the shaking of her hands as
she gripped the shaft of her spear in one hand and heavy cord around Meztli’s
neck in the other. A deep rumble came from the beast under her and she answered
with one of her own. The huge panther was complaining that the mixture of
scents in the jungle prevented him from tracking their prey; the ones who were
also tracking them. She patted his shoulder and purred, reassuring her friend
that she didn’t expect him to be able to. “We will have to keep moving and
watching, and hope we can find them before they find us.

Tepin
had been friends with Meztli since the big cat was just a kitten that she had
found injured and dying in the forest several years before. Tepin had only seen
seven summer at the time and she wasn’t supposed to be wandering off on her
own. That never stopped her, though. She supposed, thinking back, that it had
been foolish, that she could have been killed by any number of things, but
somehow she had always felt like the forest was her destiny and her home. She
hid the cat for weeks, feeding it scraps salvaged from her own bowl and spending as
much time with him as possible. That part was easy because she had been
orphaned two years before and the family that took her in hardly noticed
whether she was there or not. The difficult part was finding sufficient food for the growing cat. Tepin was a
good hunter for one so young, able to move silently through the jungle and
possessing a deadly aim with a spear, but game was scarce near the village and
she wasn’t supposed to go away on her own.

Roving
deeper into the jungle one day, she found a hidden game trail that paralleled
the walking trail used by the villagers. After that it was a simple matter of
setting snares and checking them every day. With the steady supply of meat,
Meztli grew rapidly. Too rapidly. It was as if he was trying to become the
largest creature in the world. It was his eyes, though, that caused her to name
him Meztli. His name meant moon, and the little girl thought his eyes looked
like two bright yellow moons. They
became friends and spent every possible moment together. Tepin didn’t know
where he went to hide when she wasn’t’ around, but he somehow always knew when
she was coming and would meet her by a small stream hidden in the bottom of a
ravine. They would spend hours there, playing games that involved hunting and
pouncing, or lounging in the shade. His friendship became the highlight of her
young life.

Tepin
kept the hood of her cloak pulled up to shield her face. She wasn’t hiding from
the sun, because very little penetrated this far down into the jungle. She kept
it up for camouflage, to hide herself from unfriendly eyes. Meztli needed no
such help with his midnight-black coloration, but Tepin’s fair skin would stand out. Her clothing
caused murmurs among the villagers, but it was functional and necessary for
blending in with the shadows of the forest. Supple leather boots rose to her
knees and served to protect her legs from scratches as she rode Meztli through
the trees. A sword of hardwood embedded with slivers of obsidian was strapped
to her back. Today she was regretting having left her bow in the hut. Meztli
could smell the enemy and had sent her warning of their approach. She had left
in a hurry, forgetting bow.

As time
passed, the cat grew larger than any panther Tepin had ever seen or even heard
of. They spent so much time together that they developed a language, partly of
words on her part, partly growls, moans, and other panther sounds, and partly
thought. She took it for granted, but came to understand that other people
could not communicate with animals like that and was wise enough to hold her
silence, not letting the villagers know. She was already enough of an outcast
anyway. The pair hunted together every time she could escape the watchful eye
of her foster mother, which was often. They would spend hours tracking through
the jungle, her intelligence and his animal power proving to be a
deadly combination. By the time she reached her fifteenth birthday, she had
already become the most prolific hunter in the village.

Trouble
was afoot now, though. Disaster had struck, and Tepin was in danger. She had been seen by warriors from a village to
the south and followed. Their chief coveted her and would have her. It puzzled
her how any man could have the skill to track her when she was with Meztli, but
maybe he just got lucky. She finally got away, but curiosity filled her young
heart and she went back to the area the next day. Sneaking in close to where
the men were sitting, she overheard them talking about the demon who rode a
ghost through the forest. She almost laughed. Were they talking about her? The
men were obviously terrified, thinking that she was a supernatural being, but
as was the rule with men, when they got together, they began to boast of their
skill and lack of fear. Before long, with much goading, they had outlined a plan to track her down and
capture her.

Tepin
could hear the slight rustle of leaves and knew it was not caused by the wind.
There was no wind. The birds and monkeys that were normally so noisy had fallen
silent, adding to the sense of foreboding growing inside her. She was in
danger. Her senses told her that she was trapped, with a deep ravine behind her
to the left and a steep cliff to the right. The warriors blocked the remaining
sides. Flight was not likely, so she would have to fight. Fight and die,
because she would not allow herself to be captured. Captives only had two
possible fates, and neither appealed to her. She would either be sacrificed on
an altar, her blood spilled to appease the gods, or she would become the
plaything of the cacique, the chief. For a moment she mulled over the choices,
then decided that she would not be taken alive even if she had to finish
herself off with her own knife. Patting her boot tops, she made sure that her
obsidian knives were still there, then checked the ones in her belt and hefted
her spear, letting it balance in her hand.

Meztli
rumbled again and then began to growl deep in his throat. This time Tepin did
not silence him. They knew where she was, so hiding was over. With a crash, the
leaves off to her left burst open and three men stepped out holding spears. As
if on signal, two more emerged from the right and five in front of her. Ten!
She had battled men before, and more than one at a time, but ten? She shook her
head and let out her own growl as the men began to cautiously approach. They
were courageous enough to come after her, but seemed unsure now that they could
see her and Meztli in front of them. Their eyes were wide with a combination of
wonder and fear at the sight of the enormous cat and the woman astride him.
Tepin almost laughed at the sight, seeing some of their knees trembling.

For
years Tepin and Meztli hunted together. With his speed and animal instincts and
her intelligence, they were a formidable pair, and had no trouble finding
enough game. Most of their time was spent lounging in the forest, resting and
communicating in their own language. Her ability to understand him grew as they
did, and sometimes she wondered if the big panther was actually El Balanque,
the black jaguar god. No matter, he was her friend; her only friend.

Being
hunted was a new experience for both of them, and not one they enjoyed. Tepin
also hated the thought of standing there calmly waiting to be attacked. With an
unspoken command and a scream that sounded like a panther, the two leaped into action,
bounding straight toward the five men in
front of them. Tepin threw a knife at a man to her left and another to her
right. The first fell with the knife embedded in his eye while the other took
it in the throat. Two more knives followed, and another warrior fell. The
fourth managed to dodge, throwing his spear as two other warriors launched
arrows. Tepin felt the wind from them as they passed over her just as Meztli
landed among the group of five. Swatting his massive paws to the left and
right, he felled two, then crushed the skull of another in his massive jaws.
Arrows were flying at them from the two remaining warriors to the left as Tepin
alit to bring her spear into play. She threw it at one just as an arrow caught
her in the side, burying itself to the feathers. She looked down at it with a
stunned expression, but felt no pain at first. Meztli finished off the two men
in front of him and turned to the last two, leaping after them as they threw
down their weapons and fled. Eight of their comrades had been slain in mere
moments, and they decided not to suffer the same fate.

Tepin
sank to the ground, a gray haze forming over her eyes as the cat bounded after
the men. She didn’t cry out from the pain that had finally hit, but sent a powerful thought to
her companion in her mind, causing him to stop the chase and return. He whined
in response to her moans, circling and nuzzling her. He seemed to be urging her
to get up, to run, but she did not respond. Weakness was taking her, and she
let her head sink back to the ground, hood falling to reveal her beautiful face
and coal black hair. “I’m hurt.”

She had growled the words in the language she shared with
her friend, and he responded, “Die?”

“Yes, I die.”

Meztli
turned his face up to the unseen sky and let out an ear piercing scream of pain
and rage. It was almost as if the arrow had sunk into his own heart instead of
hers. “No, not die!” he moaned. “Not leave.”

Tepin
was almost at the end of her strength, “I’m
sorry. Tired, weak. I die.” Her voice trailed away and became silent,
breath slowing, becoming faint. Meztli stretched out his huge body next to
hers, trying to keep her warm, to keep life in her, but he could feel her heart
beating more and more slowly until it finally stopped.

Time
passed. An eternity went by in a few seconds. It was a scene of unspeakable
heartbreak, but there were none to witness. None saw as the big cat wailed his
pain and loss to the forest. None saw as he finally rose and stood over the
body of his lifelong friend, considering, then slowly lower his face to hers
and breathe into her. None saw as the form of Tepin’s dead body began to change
until it took on the shape of a cat and as the black clothing she wore became
fur, sleek and black and healthy.

Her
eyes blinked rapidly and she stirred, inhaling deeply into new lungs. Meztli
sat back on his haunches, eyes shining as he thought to her, “Not die. Not
leave. Live. Live again. Live forever now.”

Tepin
rose and stretched, reveling in the sleek feline form she now wore, “Yes, I
live. Live forever. Live with you.” The two panthers touched noses and then
turned, bounding silently away into the jungle.

Write a Review
Did you enjoy my story? Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thanks,
Steve Waldrop

Caryn Moy:
Love this series! Very well written, great plot and characters! I love time travel mysteries and this was different from anything I've read in the past! Bring on the sequel!!! I need to see the Compact get squashed!

ernbelle:
When I first started this story I was a little unsettled by all of the information that appears in the prologue, and wasn't sure if I would continue. However, I am very glad I did. The plot was very well thought out and really interesting. There were not any page breaks or markers to acknowledge ...

ynez2005:
I LOVE THIS BOOK SOOOOO MUCH!!!!Though you really need to make another book,more Princesses!!! Whoooo!!!Girl Power!!!Mabey it could even be Devona's BFF???That would make it even better!!!Plus can you pleeease make Akki come back,together with Thea and Authur amd the whole family is back!Other th...

daneliacapote116:
This was one of my favorites! When you start reading you want to continue I can't wait for the rest of the novel!! The characters where awesome! Everything was great. I encourage you to read this novel, your going to love it it and want to read it more and more !!

Megan King:
This book is absolutely amazing, it kept me on my toes through the entire book. I hope there is a second book. I would 10 out of 10 recommend this for anyone who loves fantasy, action or romance because it is full of all three 💕

Shweta Somwanshi:
I just chose to read this out of nowhere and now I can't stop. Hats off to the author who made the reader swoon away with words so beautifully! I loved how I was able to imagine everything so explicitly because the writing was simple and easily comprehensive with a touch of complexity somewhere b...

Kevin Brand:
My overall rating: 4.8/5 starsLoved. Every. Second. Everytime I came back to continue reading I got this overwhelming feeling of getting hooked on the first sentence... Over and over and again!The only things that were missing for me include more descriptions on what happens when Reuben touches s...

Mourn8220House:
When first reading "Avarice," I thought it would be another fairytale but I was taken back the author's approach and choice of ending. There is little to be said for the story and overall plot besides the sudden twists and speculation, other than that I do not want to ruin a fantastic tale, you m...

Roy Jenner:
I was pleased to join the action where this B-17 was limping back across the English Channel defying all odds. Obviously written by a person more than familiar with the interior of the Flying Fortresses that were familiar in the skies of Southern England during World War 2. Plenty of action here ...

Lauren Sanby:
This is an excellent story. Very gripping and keeps your attention throughout. Hoping the author is writing a sequel because I'd love to read more about Rhi and Andreas and find out what else Rhi is able to do with her powers.

Alex Rushmer:
This was not what I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot Malfoy was always one of the characters that I liked a lot, so I like that a lot of this happens between him and Colette. I read the first couple chapters, and I enjoyed your writing style and am excited to see where you take this story. My com...

makaylakay:
I love love this story! It's written incredibly and well thought-out plot! I love how it's a different twist in fantasy fiction, other then the usual vampire or werewolves. Love the romantics and drawn to the two characters so much already! This book will draw you in within the first chapter and ...

genlynne2379:
I read the other review of this book and I must say that I disagree with it wholeheartedly. I do not believe the author put the apostrophes in the names just to be unique, but because the characters are supposedly of a different race than humans. They are Anmah. They should have different names a...

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